If you like retro scooters then you might have heard of this little company called Genuine that’s been importing brand new PX150’s made in India to the U.S.

The problem (for some) was these old school scooters used old school 2 stroke engines that spewed more pollution into the air than several of the largest SUVs (running at the same time). That didn’t stop the scooter faithful (outside of CA) who loved the odd scooter-shift (you clutch AND shift with the left hand, the left grip twists to each gear), the metal unibody construction, and the classic styling… but there have been credible rumors going around that Genuine was coming out with a 4 stroke 150cc version of the Stella that would pass emissions in California (and anywhere else in the US)… Here’s a quick review.

Well, news has it that the Stella has passed California emissions testing, and is getting ready to go on the market in the U.S. So grab your retro helmets and goggles and head to the nearest Genuine Dealer! Too bad BrooklynBretta (Genuine dealer in Brooklyn) isn’t around anymore to see it…

The cool thing about motorcycles is that you actually don’t need a good sense of balance to ride them.  Twist the throttle, and the magic of gyroscopic forces does its work keeping you on a vertical plane.  But when the wheels start to slide (and also for tight low speed maneuvers) your sense of balance is what keeps you from hitting the ground.  Ever see someone catch an unexpected slide?  How did she do that?  It happens too quickly to think about what to do.  The only way is if your steering, throttle control, and sense of balance are in sync to save your butt from the pavement.

So how do you improve your sense of balance? This is one of the most complicated functions the human brain performs.  Portable computers don’t run fast enough yet to perform all the calculations required to maintain balance while riding a motorcycle (video on a robotic motorcycle).  So how do we hone this complex skill?

Balance on a motorcycle comes from a combination of a physical sense of balance plus steering ability and throttle control.  But that first part, the physical sense of balance can be best honed off the motorcycle.  Because a motorcycle is inherently stable in motion, any non-motorcycling activity that requires left-right balance will help – like riding bicycles or unicycles… But an even better way, especially during the colder wetter months, is by spending time on a balance board.

You might want to be careful the first time you step on one. Maybe even wear your helmet (just kidding, although it might not be a bad idea for some).  If you’ve never been on a balance board, it takes a little getting used to, even if you have a great sense of balance.  But once you get the hang of it, it can go a long way…

Have you spent some time on a balance board?  Tell us what YOU think.  Cheers!

Most people don’t realize Puma makes motorcycle gear. And although the Puma store in Union Square had a Monster 696 in the window at one point, I don’t think they actually sold anything other than Ducati branded clothing… right next to their Ferrari branded clothing… which was really cool when I was like 11.

From what I read online the boots are supposed to be good stuff – but I’ve never seen anyone wearing Puma gear. Have any experience with Puma gear? Let us know!  Anyway, here’s Tyson Beckford showing off the perks of being a male supermodel on a Ducati track day.

The backpack: It’s arguably the easiest and most natural way to carry a moderate amount of gear on your motorcycle.  Motorcycle luggage, panniers and top cases may be best everywhere else (and still great for storing gloves and jackets and helmets) but they are less convenient for transporting your everyday stuff when parking on city streets.  But doesn’t the bag get heavy? You generally don’t feel the weight of the bag when you’re riding, and you don’t lose any time installing or uninstalling anything.

So how can you improve on a humble backpack? I’ve seen these jetpack looking bags from Axio, but wasn’t sure if they looked silly or cool.  I’m still undecided.  But when I needed a better way to transport my laptop I picked up a new but discontinued Axio Forza model for $49.99 on this website.  Although I wasn’t sure about the bag, I figured if I didn’t like it I could either return it or sell it on Ebay.

The hard shell is made of polycarbonate plastic like a lot of motorcycle helmets; strong and lighter than fiberglass.  And although nothing could protect your laptop in a catastrophic crash, it should add quite a bit more protection over a soft backpack in the event of tip over.  The straps are comfortable and the back side is made of a breathable mesh with hard ridges to keep air circulating between your back and the pack.

The bag comes with some standard amenities like a cell phone pouch (that just barely fits my square old school blackberry), a waterproof rubber hole for sticking headphone cords through in case you want to listen to your ipod, an extra strap in case you want to carry it as a shoulder bag, and a rain cover…well, in case it rains. Correction, turns out the rain cover is really one of those cloth bags to put the bag in…the way purses come with cloth bags (I still don’t understand that).  And the shoulder strap is really an extra waist belt strap – not really necessary for riding, but maybe useful if you want to take your using the bag for snowboarding. [funny, I didn't bother to try those things out till just now.]

So is a hard backpack for you? Only if you can live with the space age styling. Newer models come with aero-humps (in case you decide to ride a race wearing your bag?) and flashier colors and graphics… but I only shop at the bargain bin when it comes to these things.  Mr. Bond, your jet pack is ready.

For further reading:

• If you’re interested in Axio bags, click here…
• And along those lines here are some reviews from people who actually know how to review stuff.
• Don’t like the hard bags but still want something different for your laptop?  Check out these super stealth neoprene laptop bags.
• Just plain bored?  Click here.

Here’s something you won’t see at the Bike show. Saw this on Visordown.

[Here's a great way to work on throttle control during the winter riding months]

In order to corner well, control traction, get an unruly bike to behave, you only need one finely tuned skill: throttle control.

• In order to stabilize a bike while leaned all the way over in a corner, you need a small amount of throttle.  Too much and you’ll be on your butt.  Too little and the bike will push toward the outside, not turn or be able to handle bumps as effectively.
• Also, in order to get a slide or a misbehaving suspension under control, you need throttle control.  Abruptly turn off the gas during a slide will only make it worse and contribute to a crash.  Doing nothing and continuing to roll on throttle when the rear wheel is slipping will make it worse and cause a crash. It takes a good amount of skill to hold the throttle until traction is restored to then roll on or slow down…

So how do you develop your throttle control skills?

Well…practice, practice, practice…  and go to a track school where you can work out the difference throttle and no-throttle in a corner.  But, according to Lee Parks, the best way to learn the skill is while going straight on any ole’ road…

Here’s the drill: Get moving in a straight line on an open road.  Click it up to 3rd or 4th gear, and then gradually roll on the throttle for 10 seconds to about half-throttle.  Watch where you’re going.  And the last part is to roll-off the throttle for 10 seconds.  If you don’t have a lot of road in front of you, then you can just focus on rolling-off from about half-throttle for 10 seconds.

Sounds easy right? Good luck.  People say, “I thought I had pretty good throttle control until I tried this.”  Most people get done rolling off around the 3 second mark no matter how hard they try (at first).

How does this help develop throttle control skills? Skills like these (and skills like learning to walk or run) need to be learned on a subconscious level so that you consciously don’t have to think about it.  If you’re rolling off in 3 seconds when you’re trying to roll off in 10, what that means is your brain can only control the throttle in these large increments.  By working on this safe, easy to replicate drill you are teaching your brain a much finer sense of throttle control.

Keep working on it and you’ll find that you’ll be able to control the on-throttle to off-throttle transitions better (because you’ll have better throttle control), your passengers won’t knock your helmet as much when you roll off the gas, and in high performance riding situations or low traction situations, your right hand will be better able to finely roll-on or hold the throttle through slides because your brain will have developed the fine motor skills of throttle control.

Got any more throttle control tips or drills?  Share the wealth.  This drill is from Lee Parks and from people who’ve taken advanced rider courses (although the pics above are from a Superbike School).

You might have seen this already, but I thought it was cool…  From the director of the classic MotoGP documentary “Faster”… a documentary of the TTXGP from the Isle of Man last year…

What do you think?  The mirror system is ingenious!  But I’d prefer something using a digital screen that could be installed on the helmet of your choice.

For me this is it.  I’m not a Ducati-snob, I actually like my Japanese made bikes… And as long as Honda makes bikes like the 600rr, I’ll do my best to own one.  I also happen to love the gurgling sound an inline four’s make when they’re running a little lean (go figure!)…  But I think the v-4 in the Desmo sounds amazing.  What do you think…?  Am I being suckered by the price tag and rarity of this high priced collector’s bike, or is it really a thing of beauty?

What’s the best sounding bike you’ve ever heard?  [BTW - I've only seen one of these on the street once - near the 59th bridge on the Queens side.]

Okay maybe a piece of hardware can’t actually TEACH you to turn faster – but it CAN help you learn faster…  This is another gratuitous gymkhana video: And the winner here is not the smaller displacement bike, which is often the case and makes for a good story – but in this case the 600 won…so big woop.  But what’s interesting is to watch closely and see precisely WHERE the 600 was faster here.  It wasn’t the straights that the 600 pulled ahead here, but the turns.  The rider was noticeably faster on the turn-y bits.

So how can you improve your cone skills this year?  All the basics apply in terms of throttle control, body position (sitting straight up in line with the bike), counter steering…  But what I’ve found is that there is onepiece of equipment that can really aid in learning how to toss your bike around at these speeds: upright bars.

There’s something about the upright riding position that makes it easier to toss sportbikes left and right.  Ducati riders who switch over to Hypermotards comment that they are able to reach a new level of cornering skill just by switching bikes.  Sport riders who hop onto SV650s feel the same way.  It’s much less work leaning over a bike with upright bars.  Then you can get back to your low clip-on bars with a better sense of what the bike can really do…